How is Sandstone Quarried?

Sandstone is mined from the earth in a process called quarrying or extraction. This process involves locating a geological deposit of sandstone and then removing large pieces or layers of sandstone from the area. Exactly how this is executed often depends on the nature of the surrounding environment and the deposit in the earth, with factors such as density, fracturing or bedding planes and depth affecting how easily the sandstone can be quarried.

Usually, however, the extraction process is relatively simple. Cracks only need to be located, or created, in the sandstone which can then be used to lever the rock out using heavy machinery. In many cases a demolition agent is used to break up the sandstone with precision. When making breaks in the rock quarry owners have to be careful to waste as little of the intact rock as possible. Once the rock has been quarried it is evaluated and classified into different grades of quality. The large, construction quality slabs of sandstone are transported to storage and the scrap rock is removed to a crushing facility.

Sandstone is a sedimentary rock and is formed by the cementing together of materials such as sand and clay over time. The natural rock can therefore be found in most places where there is or was water, as aquatic areas provide the perfect humid environment for the hardening of the sedimentary stone. The environment in which the sandstone was formed influences the colour of the sandstone significantly, explaining why there are so many different shades of the natural rock, from tan to red and even white.

The natural rock is actually a product of erosion, as its formation begins when large deposits of sand are washed or blown into on area by wind or water. As the weight and pressure from the elements increases, so does the compaction of the levels of rocks, forcing out any air or water from between the grains of sand. The remaining minerals act as a cement to bind the sand together, forming sandstone.

When a sandstone deposit is found, it is usually quarried through an open quarry, which makes it easy to distinguish the material to be extracted from the surrounding earth or rock. The rock is removed from the open quarry using a combination of levering, wedging and blasting, to get both thin and thick compressed slabs of rock out of the earth. In many cases, the rock goes through a stone masonry process the same site at which it was quarried. This involves cutting the large pieces into manageable blocks or pavers.